Program continues to expand to meet the needs of today’s professionals

In the winter of 2021, Purdue University’s School of Civil Engineering launched its Online Master’s Degree Program. The program offers a world-class graduate degree in civil engineering with the flexibility of an entirely online program. In just 30 credit hours, learners dive deep into their chosen discipline and learn from the same world-renowned faculty who teach students on campus.

“While we’re still less than a year into our program, our sights are set on continuing to expand and improve it so that professionals who are looking to earn their degree while maintaining their careers can gain the absolute maximum value for their time,” said Dulcy Abraham, professor of civil engineering.

The program has already started to earn national recognition. The U.S. News and World Report has ranked it the No. 2 online master’s program in the country for 2022. In 2021, the program saw 17 new students start in spring, 10 in the summer, and 29 new students are expected to start in fall.

“This program is our newest addition to the school’s offerings and is strongly supported by our world-renowned faculty,” said Rao S. Govindaraju, Bowen Engineering Head of Civil Engineering and the Christopher B. and Susan S. Burke Professor of Civil Engineering. “It has been years in the making to ensure our online learners get the best education possible.”

About the program

The Online Master’s Degree program offers interdisciplinary tracks in sustainable water; infrastructure, resiliency and sustainability; and smart mobility.

The sustainable water track provides coursework related to water quantity, taught through coursework in hydrology and hydraulics, and water quality, taught through coursework related to water treatment.

The infrastructure, resiliency and sustainability track focuses on the latest advancements in the analysis, design and construction of buildings, bridges, roadways, industrial facilities and power plants such as sustainable materials and non-destructive evaluation, digital twinning for planning and construction and design for natural hazards and resilience.

The smart mobility track focuses on emerging technologies in transportation engineering such as autonomous, connected, electrified and shared micromobility transportation systems. Techniques for assessing the safety, efficiency, sustainability and societal impacts of these systems will be useful to a broad cross section of professionals, including engineers and policymakers.

Over the summer, Purdue Civil Engineering introduced a MicroMasters course in Materials Engineering for Intelligent Infrastructure. The program will benefit students with the advanced and emerging technology for intelligent infrastructure. This program will also help students kick-start or rise in a career in one of the fastest-growing tech fields today.

Admission considerations for Spring 2022 are open. Contact Jenny Ricksy, graduate program administrator, at jricksy@purdue.edu for more information.